Port of Palm Beach
Riviera Beach, FL

The Port of Palm Beach is a full-service, diversified landlord port that provides services through its private sector partners and is responsible for facilitating economic development within Palm BeachCounty, the region and the state of Florida. The port generates approximately 2,850 direct and indirect jobs in its community. The 162-acre port is located 80 miles north of the city of Miami.

The port has three slips, 17 berths, and four roll on/roll off (ro/ro) ramps for 6,500 linear feet of berthing space to accommodate vessels up to 700-feet long and 100-feet wide. The port’s docks are 20 minutes transit from the sea buoy. Operating draft is minus 33 feet MLW. The port has easy access to I-95, Florida’s Turnpike, and the Florida East Coast Railway, allowing for seamless, cost effective cargo movement.

Palm Beach offers on-dock rail. Florida East Coast Railway provides twice-daily service to the port’s rail interchange. The port owns and operates a locomotive and five miles of track. The industrial switching operation is capable of handling box, hopper and double-stack rail cars, with 24/7 operations. Rail operations can accommodate 20-axle rail cars, with 450-ton capacity.

The Port of Palm Beach is an important distribution center for commodities shipped all over the world, and especially the Caribbean Basin. Operations include containerized, dry bulk, liquid bulk, break-bulk, ro/ro and heavy-lift/project cargoes. Additionally, the port has provided a foreign trade zone to the region since 1987, which encompasses both port and private sector sites. Federal agencies having oversight for international trade and passenger flow are housed in the port’s maritime office complex, located adjacent to a cruise terminal which accommodates day cruises, coastal, multi-day and port-of-call cruises.

Goals & Objectives

Strengthen the port’s revenue stream by striving for diversification in import and export commodities while securing new revenue sources.

Increase cruise operations, passenger counts and support travel and tourism to Palm Beach County with community partners.

Increase cargo throughput by continuing to partner with existing tenants and users while also securing additional cargo from new customers.

Maintain and expand port facilities to ensure the port has adequate capacity and operational efficiencies to accommodate further growth in cargo and passenger services by continuing to implement the port’s Master Plan.

Continue to increase the port’s support of the local, regional, state and national economies while also enhancing the port’s role in the community through public relations, media outreach, online and social media.

Current or Planned Investments

Slip 3 Redevelopment: The redevelopment of Slip 3 and the surrounding area will improve the efficiency of cargo operations. The proposed slip layout will keep the same width and length that exists between the fenders today. The fully funded project involves improvements to the existing infrastructure that will include the addition of two ro/ro ramps, at different elevations, and the demolition of an adjacent warehouse. The project supports 511 direct and indirect jobs and will have an impact of $759 million over life of the project. The project is scheduled for completion in 2015.

Berth 17: Once the Slip 3 project is complete, the reconstruction of Berth 17 will begin. The project will replace the existing 60-year-old sheet pile and includes improvements to the adjacent upland drainage system, utilities, existing and future tenant loading/unloading facilities and associated work required for the project. A ‘mini slip’ will be cut into the existing dock, allowing for the stern-in mooring of a 350-foot vessel conducting ro/ro operations. This project will expand current business and allow for possible new business at the site without interrupting the sugar operation located on the south side of Slip 3. This project is fully funded, will have an economic impact of $19 million per year, and will create 60 direct and indirect jobs.

Inlet and Channel Dredging: The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers conducted a market analysis to identify market trends and future needs of the port. The previous channel improvement occurred in 1963. The feasibility study aimed to determine areas in the Lake Worth Inlet that, once improved, would allow the port to handle slightly larger ships, while increasing navigational safety. The project has been approved by the USACE, was included in the 2014 WRRDA, and is currently waiting for Congressional funding.

Accomplishments

Currently undertaking a fully-funded $45-million refurbishment/expansion of Slip 3 and adjacent infrastructure.

Secured a new secondary metals exporter, which will provide a minimum guarantee of $500,000 in revenue annually to the port. This creates new jobs and generates a positive environmental impact to the region.

Refunded series 1999A Bonds with privately-placed series 2013 bonds; saving nearly two million dollars in interest costs.

Mission

Provide quality deepwater facilities to serve the diverse maritime shipping, rail, intermodal, and cruise markets; and facilitate economic development within Palm Beach County, the region, and the state of Florida.